Prohibition of pictures

[Deliverance]

A common and open theme is the probition of pictures in Islam although there is no one Vers which is dealing with it Muslims following this Dogma.The secondary sources of Islam are full of it and the main statement is that pictures of living beeing is prohibited wether you draw nor hang it in your home.
I probably found in the story of Joseph a hint that pictures are allowed. Surah Yusuf

"And the king said: Bring him unto me that I may attach him to my person. And when he had talked with him he said: Lo! thou art to-day in our presence established and trusted. (54) He said: Set me over the storehouses of the land. Lo! I am a skilled custodian. (55) Thus gave We power to Joseph in the land. He was the owner of it where he pleased. We reach with Our mercy whom We will. We lose not the reward of the good. (56)"
In his Position we get to know that he has to manage the stock of the state and to wright everthing down.As you know the acient egyptians wrote with Hieroglyphs and the numbers had also that form.
http://www.discoveringegypt.com/pics/numbers.jpg

There are also drawings of the Prophet Mohamed showing his face and there used to be pictures inside the Kaabah.

regards

Source:
,,Hieroglyph-Numbers",http://discoveringegypt.com/egyptian-mathematics-numbers-hieroglyphs.htm,05.02.2014

[Joseph Islam]

Dear Deliverance / All,

As-salam alaykum

May I respectfully share a related article:

ARE STATUES AND IMAGES UNLAWFUL (HARAM)?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/are%20statues%20and%20images%20unlawful%20FM3.htm

Regards,
Joseph

[Deliverance]

Slam alikum Joseph,

Thank you for the link,i haven´t found your article in QA section again your writing was datailed analyzed.

regards

[Armanaziz]

Salamun Alaikum.

Thanks to brother Joseph for showing with the example of Prophet Solomon that the act of making a statue in itself is not a sin - in light of Qur'an. It may be also possible to draw similar conclusion from the making of shapes of birds with clay by Prophet Jesus.

Allah narrates the stories of Prophets to teach us. May Allah help us all pay attention.

Regards,
Arman

[optimist]

Dear Deliverance / All,

As-salam alaykum

May I respectfully share a related article:

ARE STATUES AND IMAGES UNLAWFUL (HARAM)?
http://quransmessage.com/articles/are%20statues%20and%20images%20unlawful%20FM3.htm

Regards,
Joseph

Salaam.

Thank you for brother jospeh islam for the useful article. 

I have still a question.  I agree statues per se not allowed.  However, is it allowed to make statues of "human beings" and to identify it with any human being whether living or dead.   I believe statues that do not identigy any particular creature, whether human being or any other creatures could be allowed, but not otherwise.

Regards
Optimist

[optimist]

There was an inadvertent error in my previous post....I wanted to state there is nothing to prohibit statues as such, however......

[Joseph Islam]

Dear brothers Optimist and ArmanAziz,

As-salam alaykum

Thank you both for your feedback and shared sentiments.

@Brother Optimist - Thank you for your question.

In essence, my article attempted to argue that notwithstanding the requirements for Islamic decency et al, there was nothing inherently wrong with creating statues or imagery, as long as it was not intended to become an object of worship. That is why there was a difference noted between what prophet Solomon created (34:13) and what prophet Abraham questioned (21:51-52) as an object of worship.

Similarly, a statue of a particular person would be analogous to creating real life imagery of a human being regardless of size. Both would depict the human being.

Therefore, it would be my humble view from the Quran that as long as one does not transgress any other religious requirements (Need for modesty, decency etc.), then neither statues, nor imagery would inherently be unlawful as long as they are not worshipped or idolised. After all, as already noted on this thread, prophet Jesus did create clay representations of a living creature, such as a bird. (3:49, 5:110). However, prophet Jesus's intention as you know, was not to idolise or worship what he had created.

For example, as I am sure you will agree, even a poster of a favourite artist that is idolised, or a personality unduly revered would be a practice wholly unsupported from a Quran's perspective as would be the depiction of anything provocative or indecent irrespective of whether it was in the form of a statue or image.

I hope that helps, God willing.
Joseph

[optimist]

Thanks!